With an increasing awareness of the dangers of sun tanning, and also sun-bed tanning, sunless tanning sprays have become very popular amongst those seeking the cosmetic advantages of a tanned skin. While commercial operations provide spray tanning services, for economic and privacy reasons many individuals prefer to perform spray tanning at home.
Various liquid sunless tanning products are available for spray-on self-application at home. However, self application of a liquid spray sunless tanning product can be difficult. Specifically, it is difficult to achieve uniform coverage of a liquid sprayed onto the skin, particularly from a pump style bottle dispenser.
Release of liquid sunless tanning products has been found to be more consistent and even when packaged with a propellant in a spray canister, such as an aerosol spray. Release with a propellant from a canister allows the liquid product to be discharged from a small atomizing nozzle to produce the desired fine disbursed mist that allows for uniform application to the skin. However, such products (being essentially disposable) are expensive.
As one example of existing spray devices is that disclosed in published United States Patent Application No. 2004/0251272 A1, which is directed to a sunless tanning spray dispenser which includes a rigid outer canister having a valve and a nozzle. A tanning solution and a propellant are housed in the canister which resembles a common aerosol can.
Apparatuses not requiring propellant have been developed for home use, however while these domestic spray tan apparatuses are generally effective, they are typically cumbersome affairs with long tubes used to convey the solution to the spray head and separate air compressors to drive the spray process. In using such prior art contrivances, the user is often restricted in his or her ability to move or ideally position the applicator, particularly during self-application. Moreover, the motorized components of existing apparatuses (such as the compressor) are typically heavy and inconvenient to move.
A further problem of in-home spray tanning apparatuses is that the compressor often requires maintenance. Some require replenishment of oil, the changing of separator elements and filters, cleaning of the heat exchanger, and the like.
Being the relatively complex contrivances, compressors are prone to failure with repairs being expensive. Where care is not taken, the air intake of the compressor can admit spray tan composition mist, this leading to a very short service life. Typically, the repair does not justify the cost and the entire compressor is often discarded with the user being required to purchase a new unit.
Spray tan apparatuses may utilize a turbine in place of a compressor. The turbine may be of the high volume low pressure (HVLP) type. While turbines generally have lower maintenance requirements than compressors, turbines are nevertheless large, heavy and expensive pieces of equipment.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a relatively inexpensive, simple, easily to manipulate yet effective apparatus for uniform spray application of a sunless tanning product to the skin.
It is an aspect of the present invention to overcome a problem of the prior art to provide an improved apparatus for the application of sunless tanning compositions. It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a useful alternative to apparatus of the prior art.
The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.